Water-heating device



W. F. CLARK INVENTOR. Warren F. Cmrk BY WATER HEATING DEvxcE Filed July 14, 1921 .J als ra| w. .a I mi April 2l, 1925.

A TTORNE Y.

l Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

wA'rEufitnn'rING. DEVICE.-

mutation mea-July 14,' 1921. serial no. 434,801.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I WARRENfF. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in )the 4county of Cuyahoga and 5 State of Ohio, have invented la certain new v and useful Improvement in Water-Heatf ing Devices, of whichthe following is a full,

clear, and exact/description, refe ence being had to theaccompanying drawins. i

This invention relates to water .heating devices of the so-called instantaneous type wherein 'opening of.l a faucet automatically .induces the operation of the heating device which acts upon the flowingstream to raise 1.5' the water tefthe desired temperature, and

- closing of the faucetautomatically stops the loperation thereof. .The present invention illustratesI an instantaneous heater of the electrictype wherein the current is turned on and o-fl" by changes inthe pressure of the water without 'employing any electric connections to the faucets or valves' by which the ow is controlled. The objects of the f invention are the provision of an apparatus 35 of this typeXof silnple and` rugged const-ruction which shall be cheaply made, readily cleaned, 'reliablein operation, and economical of current while further objects andadvantages of the invention will become apf parent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application-I haveshown ore embodiment of my invention, F ig. 1

H being a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus and Fig. 2 akdetail View illustrating the direction of current flow. Y

Describing by reference characters the parts V'shown in these drawings, 1 and 2 represent metallic tubes having their walls formed with spaced helical corrugations 3-3 constituting seats .for .adjacent vsmooth walled tubes 43nd 5, espectivelys'which CO operate with the first named tubes to form narrow helical passages.. The tube 2 is sutilj 145 lciently smaller than the'fftube'4 to definean annular space 6 in which is located an electric heating device whichsthus. acts upon j Mbth sets of channels lat onetime; means .being provided o that the liquid having n.-"f passed throught e device in one direction through one set of'channels is turned back- V Pwardlyandews' in the, opposite direction A' 'j' through the .other set of channels.`

@Inthe present embodiment the buter pipe 51" is extended longitudinally`l beyond the 'other pipes and 'flanged at 10H10 into en 1 is formed with a lateral opening 13 for the 60 attachment of. the inlet pipe 14, and above this point theend of thetube 4 is flared outwardly as shown 'at 15.to engage the tube 1 and close the passageway. Detachably secured to the ringll is aterminal member 18 65 having a plug portion 19 depending inside the ends of the tubes 1. and 4 -and also provided with a central nipple 2O receiving the end ofthe tube 2. The memben 18 is provided with a central longitudinal bore 21 in 70 which is threaded the outlet pipe 22, and also with a pair-of apertures 23 communi; veating with 'the annular space 6 and carrying t e electric terminals 24-24.

The. heating device can be of any suitable 75 Y tively wound so as to bring both its ter# 80e minals atAthev upper end. At its lower end the annular space Gis closed by a suitable member 27 which can be of either insulating material or conducting material and lcan be 'separate' from or integral with any of the adjacent parts as may be desired, although I .have shown it as made of metal and separate from the surrounding members. I have slcliwn the pipes .4 and 5 asmerely pressed lo gitudinally into their seats so as tocause most of the liquid to pass through the spiral passageways while enabling ready dismantling in case clogging occurs. .Thus assuming .that the tube 4 is" fastened to the plug 19 (since it is undesirableto disrupt the electric heating element) if the top screws be removed the entire inner pa can be lifted out of the tube 1; similarly iv the bottom of the device be removed the tube 5 can be withdrawn, an eye 28 being preferably provided for this purpose. Passage through the tube 5 is prevented by a suitable closure 29 hat some point therein. l

This bottom preferably consists ,of a chambered memberBO clamped tathe-'ring y12, a diaphragm 31 being interposed. Located between this member anddiaphi'agm is thefsp'ring 32 and slidablynrounted in this member and engaging the diaphragm is a v plunger 33v whose outer end .engages there? 110 :i

.PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN FRANKLIN CLARK, or cLEvELAND, cino.

Cal

rection as the spring4 32, tends to hold the contact members together, both springs opposing the pressure of the diaphragm 31 which tends to hold these contact members apart, When the faucet (not shown) conthe device is surrounded by a metal jacket 40, between which and the tube 1 is interposed the heat insulating material 4l, a channed 42 bein left at one side for the electric wires 43 W ich connect the switch 35 with the terminals 24. The switch end is closed by a removable cap 44 and the terminal end by a removable cap 45', the wall of which is apertured for the attachment of the separable connector 46. Y

Owing to the very large heating area the operation of the device is very quick and owing to the fact that the heating element is entirely surrounded by water the waste of current is very small. Also there is practically no water heated that is not used, the liquid capacity being very small. The device .can be cheaply made and easily repaired and cleansed but I do not limit myself to details of construction or arrangement except as thesame are recited in my claims as many changes can be made.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: n I

1. In a liquid .heating device, in combination, a sheet metal tube having its wall corrugated in a helical manner to produce an integral rib, a cylindrical metal tube removably seated against such ribs and defining with the first tube a narrow helical passageway, and an electric heating unit closely fittin the wall of one of said tubes.

2. n a liquid heating device, in combination, a pair of metal tubes of 'unequal size each having a helically ribbed wall and ari,ranged one inside lthe other, a cylindrical metal tube removably seated against the ribs of each "of the first mentioned tubes so as to define a narrow helical .passageway therewith, there being a narrowy annular space between the inner and outer sets of tubes, an electrical heating element in such annular space, and means establishing comv munication between the inner and outer passageways at one end.

3. In a liquid heating device, in combination, an electrical heatlng element' of cylindrical form, and cylindrical tubes being of sheet metal and' having its wall corrugated in a helical manner to produce an integral rib defining a sinuous liquid channel, the ti s of one set of ribs engaging the surface o said heating element whereby to define one side of such channel having a spiral said connecting member and operative upon decrease in the liquid pressure to close said switch.

5. In a liquid heating device, in combination, akchambered member, a yielding diaphragm carried thereby, an electric heating element, a channeled member thermally connected to said heating element and adapted to convey liquid to one face` of said diaphragm, there being an inlet to said channeled member at a distance Jfrom said diaphragm, an electric switch in circuit with said heating element, an operating member connecting said switch with said diaphragm, and spring means resisting the liquid pressure against said diaphragm.

6. In a liquid heating device, in combina-g tion, a terminal member, a pair of concentric tubes rigidly connected thereto at one end and connected together at the opposite end, an electric heating element located in the annular space between said tubes, and other tubes slidably mounted inside and outside said first tubes, one tube of eachpair hav-- ing a helical rib which snugly engages the surface of the mating tube to produce'helical liquid passages inside and outside said heatin element.

l?. In a liquidheating device, in combination, a plurality of concentric cylindrical tubes, arranged one inside the other, certain of said tubes being connected together at their ends to form an annular chamber and other tubes both inside and outside the same being spaced romsaid tubes to form liquid passageways, an electrical heating element in said annular chamber, anelectrie switch in circuit with said heating element, and means operative by changes in the liquid pressure for operating saidswitch.

8. In a liquid heating device, in combination, a substantially cylindrical wroughtmetal tube having its wall corrugated in a helical manner to produce an integral rib,.

a second substantially cylindrical metal tube removably seated-against suchV ribs and definingfwith the first tube a narrow helical yliquid passageway, and means for heating the wall of at least one of said tubes.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature. v

WARREN FRANKLIN CLARK. 

